A positive message

Eighteen-year-old Alex Ngac knows that homeless people don't have the comfort of soft beds or warm clothes; they only have what they can find. He also imagines that they don't feel too great being in this situation. So Alex decided to do what he can to help with both: To people needing warmth, both the physical and emotional kind, he donates sweaters he designs with the message of “It's Okay.”

A recent graduate of Woodbridge High School in Irvine, Alex started his company, Okay Streetwear, when he was a junior in high school. He has sold hundreds of shirts and has made about $20,000 that he is using to support himself and pay for tuition at Irvine Valley College this fall, with hopes to transfer to USC as an engineering major.

But Alex's blossoming dreams have not kept him from seeing reality, including the reality of homelessness in Orange County. When he saw people sleeping on the streets in the county, from Santa Ana to Newport Beach, he says, “I just wanted to help.”

Instead of leaving extra garments at home, he thought, “Why not give them to people who need them?” Last winter when the days were cold, Alex started to seek out homeless people on the streets to hand them his sweaters.

“They have hard lives filled with struggle, and believe that not many people help them out, instead look down upon them,” says Alex. He wants to tell them through actions and words that, “It's OK, because someone cares.”

“At first they didn't look (at the sweaters) because they thought I was selling, but when I told them it was for free they all crowded around and picked out the ones they liked,” he recalls of the first time he approached them.

While Alex was initially nervous, after the positive response, he “wanted to help more people.” The homeless people inspire Alex to do more for the community. “I will continue to help the homeless people in my community and encourage people who buy my clothes to do the same.”

Alex's desire to help is not limited to Orange County. One of his best memories is of the summer in middle school when he went to remote, underdeveloped areas of Vietnam for a church mission to provide eyeglasses, hearing aids and dental care to impoverished villagers.

It was eye-opening to realize some people there “didn't even know that they can see better or hear better with glasses or hearing aids.

“When I think of those people, I remember to appreciate what I have, even such simple things that are part of our everyday lives should not be taken for granted, because someone out there might not have glasses or toothpaste or even clean water to drink,” he says.

“That's why I like to help others, because I know I am very fortunate.”

Alex believes that his good fortune starts with his parents, who fled religious persecution in Vietnam, arriving in Orange County in the 1970s. Once here, they had to start very new lives, working hard to learn English, assimilate into American culture and support their family.

His father, Keith Troung, works from home. His mother, June Ngac, works the night shift as a nurse at a Fountain Valley hospital. Because she is asleep when he is awake, Alex doesn't often get to see her. Alex knows that his parents had hard childhoods and that coming to the U.S. was a difficult process, and he feels tremendous gratitude to them.

Growing up, Alex saw little of his parents because they were working, so he says he developed a strong sense of independence. He started Okay Streetwear by borrowing money from his parents, but has already made enough to pay them back. Now, he runs his company all by himself. Although Alex saw little of his parents, he was far from alone: His younger sister, Sofia Troung, 15, is a sophomore at Woodbridge High School. His sister is his best friend; she is always there to support him.

Alex's family supports his outreach to the homeless. “They thought it was a very nice idea to give back to the community,” said Alex. “My mom inspires me to help other people and put them first because she never asks for anything, and she gets so much joy from giving things.”

The teen became interested in design after joining the Screen Printing Club at Woodbridge High. Using what he learned as a club member, Alex taught himself Photoshop. After he showed his friends his “Okay” design inspired by the Mickey Mouse hand, they encouraged him to start designing clothes, saying they would buy them.

So motivated, he used the Screen Printing Club as a resource, teaching himself everything about the screen printing process, and Okay Streetwear – a name he chose for its blend of modesty and confidence – was born.

Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the Screen Printing Club had to be shut down and Alex lost access to its equipment. Undaunted, he built a screen printing press in his garage with the help of his father. “My dad helped me build my first press from scratch and without him, my company would not have been able to start,” he says.

He then created even more designs, and even more people started buying them. Okay Streetwear first sold through Facebook, then through Woodbridge High, and has even managed to generate sales in Los Angeles. “It's fun to design things. And when people started wearing my clothes, I felt proud,” says Alex.

Alex's idea of success is to grow his business and help his family. While he also intends to pursue a career as an engineer, Alex hopes to open a store in Los Angeles and keep expanding his company.

Alex's immediate goal is to see his clothes in the window at Pacsun, one of his favorite stores. But in the meantime, he'll see local homeless people sporting his designs, and know that he's helping them realize that someone cares, and “it's okay.”